New policy possibly wouldn’t have applied to Roethlisberer

That new beefed-up policy regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, and assault and battery generally imposes real and substantial penalties, especially for a second offense.

But plenty of questions remain officially unanswered, including what precisely constitutes an offense.

ESPN has reported that an offense would arise only upon an adjudication resulting in responsibility being imposed on the player, via a conviction at trial, a guilty plea, a plea of no contest, or admission to a diversionary program. If accurate, this means that players who aren’t criminally prosecuted will never face scrutiny.

Which means that the new policy may have not applied to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

His first offense was a lawsuit for sexual assault, filed in Nevada. He never was arrested or charged criminally, and the case eventually was settled without an admission of guilt. For his second offense, arising from an accusation of sexual assault in Milledgeville, Georgia, Roethlisberger never was arrested, charged, or even sued.

If, as ESPN has reported, the enhanced penalties apply only when a criminal case has been adjudicated, Roethlisberger wouldn’t have been eligible for punishment under the new policy.

That said, the league could have still found a way to impose some sort of discipline on Roethlisberger, especially in light of circumstances that potentially entailed Roethlisberger furnishing alcohol to a minor, a dynamic that the prosecutor specifically acknowledged in announcing that no charges would be filed.

Ultimately, the league will address and any all situations on a case-by-case basis, finding a way to impose discipline if it believes discipline is warranted. But the strict penalties (especially the minimum one-year ban for a second offense) apply only if there are two adjudications that result in responsibility for domestic violence, sexual assault, assault, or battery. If a player can avoid such an outcome — either by fighting the charges through to a verdict or by settling all claims with the alleged victim via the transfer of a large bag with a dollar sign on it — the new policy won’t apply.

Goodell’s decision against Ray Rice was an under-reaction to a legit reason.

Goodell’s decision against Ben Roethlisberger was an over-reaction to an iffy “reason.”

Goodell is consistently inconsistent.

One thing that is consistent with Goodell is he fails to recognize what is or isn’t intentional, what is or isn’t unavoidable, fails to recognize what actually happens on a playing field, and he often bows to public pressure.

And he thinks we’re so dumb that his token gesture to make one dollar a year during labor negotiations was a really meaningful commitment.

From this point on please refer to the new domestic violence rules as the “Roethlisberger / Rice Rules” you know, like “Tommy John Surgery” I believe that the 2 players mentioned received ridiculously low suspensions and should be discussed forever.

It is always a slippery slope when you choose to ignore due process. I could accuse an NFL player of assaulting me and the police could say get lost he wasn’t within 1,000 miles of you but then if I accuse him again it’s the second strike and then the third and so forth.

Couldn’t agree more skoalbrother. Ben didn’t admit guilt, but he paid a woman off. If you accuse me of doing something I didn’t do, I’m not gonna give you a damn dollar! Settlements are, for all intents and purposes, an admission of some amount of guilt. And this is not an “I hate the Steelers and Ravens” rant. I hate the Colts, but Manning or Luck would never be involved in anything like this because they’re good people. This is based on the fact that I have 2 daughters, and if they were victims of abuse or assault by a celebrity, their had better be some discipline and justice.

Funny how the truth is stated as plain as day. Ben was never arrested, charged, or even sued for the second “offense” yet people constantly comment on that as being FACT. Yeah, like he wasn’t a target for someone.
Anyway, I am glad that it was pointed out that he wasn’t even sued. That point alone exempts him from the contempt shown by bitter haters.
If he actually “attacked” the second woman sexually as so many haters keep saying, why would she never, EVER seek some sort of justice?
Probably because it NEVER happened, right???
The guy got suspended for 6 games for a FALSE accusation, that was almost immediately recanted by the accuser. An accuser that was not promptly married by him, I might add.
This is the Ray Rice rule. Not the Ben/Ray rule

You cannot settle a criminal lawsuit with the victim. A settlement of a civil lawsuit does not equate to an admission of guilt for a crime. People settle frivolous lawsuits all the time for various reasons, usually because the cost of defense counsel outweighs the demand of the Plaintiff. If there was evidence Ben committed any crime he would have been charged by the local DA in Georgia and/or Nevada, just like Rice was charged in Maryland. However, without such evidence all we have are accusations. I hope you agree that accusations do not equate to crimes.

Some of these athletes are big boys. They get revved up for a game and afterwards it takes time medication and an ice bath to cool down, literally. Which I have no problem with cooling them down etc. Some of these guys don’t responsibly ‘cool down’ and find themselves in an unfamiliar city, rocked out of their compression hose and require emotional outlet. When that isn’t available bad thing happen, especially to women, wives, girlfriends etc.

When crimes of passion, let’s be serious, when crimes occur it’s all about emotion, passion, anger and depression. The big guys have a lot of emotion to get out.

When you are in the public eye, no matter who you are, someone is watching. Big brother has arrived on the planet. If you screw up, they know, the camera’s watch, peepers, cell phones.

I’m confused as to why Ben’s name is even being brought up in this? How long ago were the allegations against him? 4, 5 years ago? There was no evidence (video/pictures) more importantly no charges and who knows what the “settlement” was? He got a 4 game suspension for being accused. There is video evidence of Ray Rice playing Mike Tyson’s punchout on his girlfriends face and he gets 2 games? So back to my initial question, why is Big Ben being mentioned?

Why not Greg Hardy’s name? Or Adam Jones who in June of 2013 was Arrested and jailed on an assault charge after police said he hit a woman at a downtown Cincinnati nightclub. Or Daryl Washington who in June of 2013 was Arrested for assault after an argument with an ex-girlfriend in her Phoenix apartment. Or Leroy Hill who in January of 2013 was Arrested on two felony counts of domestic violence stemming from an alleged incident with his girlfriend in his Issaquah home. OR Dez Bryant who in July of 2012 was Arrested on a misdemeanor family violence charge in DeSoto, Texas, after his mother called 911 and said her son had hit her.

Or Better yet, HOW IS Aldon Smith still eligible to play after being Charged with three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon, stemming from a party at his home in June 2012. Arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence and marijuana possession after he crashed his pickup truck into a tree. Let not forget about April of 2014 when he was Arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after he allegedly became belligerent during a security screening and said he had a bomb.

The innuendoes around Pittsburgh were that the Rooneys requested Roethlisberger’s suspension because they and others believed he was headed down the wrong path. Those concerns were based on his bad public behavior long before his visit to Milledgeville.

Furnished alcohol to a minor? C’mon , Mike! He bought drinks for a woman he met in a bar. It wasn’t his job to card her first. It was the responsibility of the multiple establishments inside which he interacted with her.
Troll Steelers fans for page hits much?

bobzilla1001 says:
Aug 29, 2014 1:26 PM
The innuendoes around Pittsburgh were that the Rooneys requested Roethlisberger’s suspension because they and others believed he was headed down the wrong path. Those concerns were based on his bad public behavior long before his visit to Milledgeville.

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Report comment. I guess you have to be very important to hear the innuendoes that close to the Rooneys? Were you picking thru their trash or did you hear some rumors to support your claim?

Thank you! Every Steelers post, some stooge calls Ben a rapist and every time it ticks me off. In the first case, under the new rules, he might have had to fight the allegations to the bitter end. That’s expensive but better than the alternative.

I remember when innocent until proven guilty meant something. It means nothing in the court of public opinion though.

titaniksigh says:
Aug 29, 2014 12:01 PM
Couldn’t agree more skoalbrother. Ben didn’t admit guilt, but he paid a woman off. If you accuse me of doing something I didn’t do, I’m not gonna give you a damn dollar! Settlements are, for all intents and purposes, an admission of some amount of guilt.

Its very easy to sit on the sidelines and say “I would” or “I wouldn’t”. But the reality of it is sometimes it is easier, and smarter, to just pay some cash and make the whole thing go away. The exact dollar figure paid to the accuser is unknown, but was probably pocket change to Roethlisberger. And before you say that you’d rather go to court to defend your innocence, remember that a jury does not always get the verdict right (just ask OJ). Better to pay than, if innocent, end up in jail because of a bad decision by a jury.

“That said, the league could have still found a way to impose some sort of discipline on Roethlisberger, especially in light of circumstances that potentially entailed Roethlisberger furnishing alcohol to a minor,”

Mr. Florio, she was not a minor, what she was is an under-aged drinker. You are an adult at 18 in this country.

I look forward to your apology in print on this website, the same way you lied about Ben.

Not a Steelers fan at all….but this is absolutely the Ray Rice Rule, not the Ben Rule….because if you really want to include a player in putting a face to this, name it the Peyton Manning sexually- harassing- a- female- trainer rule…look it up. Roethlisberger was given a 6 game suspension and wasn’t charged with anything.

If you think Roethlisberger is completely innocent of the accusations levied, by all means, begin a fund to compensate him for his trouble. Roethlisberger seems to have matured and doesn’t find himself in those “situations” anymore but that doesn’t give him a pass. If the skeletons in your closet begin to make a little racket, one, don’t create skeletons or two you should have taken the time to bury them with a shovel and buried the shovel.

I don’t recommend holding your breath siggy. If you want to split hairs, you’re still semantically incorrect. In the instance of alcohol, one is considered to be a minor until the age of 21, under the age of 18 one is considered to be a juvenile. The age of consent can vary from state to state as well as the preferred nomenclature, however regardless of the amount of variables the axioms themselves remain the same. Don’t offer to provide alcohol to someone of questionable age. How tough is that?

Not sure what planet a Roethlisberger apologist would hail from but in what galaxy does everyone get the same treatment, discipline, sanction, outcome?

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Report comment. If you and a skunk were lying in the road and approached by a car who would have skids marks in front of them and why? The skunk because judging from your willingness to split hairs and argue for the sake of arguing ……you are a lawyer…hence the lack of skid marks. And professor you have no dog in this fight so take break and let us fans converse in our simple way. Thanks

Did Roethlisberger pay for the drinks or were they complimentary from the establishment? Although it appears you profess to have some extensive knowledge of the incident, this is not clear by your account.

While siggy is gathering himself. I didn’t address anyone in particular in my first post so if you choose to label me a troll that is your prerogative. When someone singles me out, they’ll get what I feel they deserve, which is my right. If PFT chooses to delete my comments they have that authority. If that’s what passes for clever where your from Nofool, you have my sympathies.

Gofor2, it is my understanding that Ben bought drinks for the bar and had a bar employer distribute those drinks to other bar patrons. Under these circumstances the onus is on the bar to ensure the drinks are not served to anyone under the age of 21. I assume you agree.

Gofor, you’re reaching. It is the establishment’s responsibility to make sure that all patrons are of legal age, not the patrons themselves.

As far as Ben’s first accusation, the woman’s forget co-workers signed depositions saying she told them she wanted to have his baby. She was not going to win anything, but civil cases can go on for years anyway. At some point it became cheaper to make it go away than to continue it to the end, which would have been an even longer time coming.

That people still even accuse Ben of being guilty shows just how far desperate trolls will go lol.

Thanks again for this post. I’ll just reference it next time there’s a Stellar post with “Ben is a rapist” silliness in the comments 🙂

Put yourself in Roethlisberger’s position. You feel like king pinning, you choose a bar near a college campus, you know, because of the intellectual stimulation and because no one ever got into one of those bars with a fake I.D. So you buy “drinks for the bar”. Was the lady in question several tables away, because now that’s what your trying to make it sound like, or was she at Roethlisberger’s table? You see what I’m getting at here, it doesn’t make any sense to try and buy a pretty young lady a drink, and then try to disassociate yourself from any other interaction. While I would agree, legally it is the establishments responsibility not to serve those under age. Given that your a professional athlete, you trust that the liquor control board isn’t running a sting? Because I live relatively close to a state line and both states are notorious for sending under age people into bars and stores to buy alcohol. I’m 48 yrs old and even at a bar where I know the owner personally, they check I.D.

From where I am from people have a sense of humor and tolerate stuffed shirts by ignoring them. If you knew anything about the case you wouldn’t be acting the pompous fool. Thanks I do accept your sympathies as I get they are rarely granted.

Has the NFL established a limit on how far in the past you may have had any contact with law enforcement before you can be nominated for The Walter Payton Man of the Year award. There appears to be an itch that needs scratchin.